"The quickest way to a gentleman's heart is through his fourth and fifth ribs."

-Anon

Wednesday, 8:47 a.m.

Marinette just about jumped out of her skin as someone slammed the locker right next to hers. She looked up, shocked for a moment, before she saw who it was.

Adrien.

She'd been anticipating, well, something, but this was a bit much. He glared down at her, but she only smiled sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes in mock playfulness.

"Kabedon, Chat?" she whispered, an edge of malice floating in the sickeningly sweet tone she used. "That's a little forward…even for you." Marinette fanned her face before rolling her eyes and looking back in her locker.

She really was feeling quite warm. Whether the feeling was from embarrassment, dislike, or something else, she really couldn't say. Whatever that something was, though, Adrien was radiating it, and she felt her cheeks flush again, just like they did every time she was in his presence. This time, however, it wasn't because of a crush. At least, that's what she kept telling herself.

While Marinette went back to fiddling with the lock on her locker, Adrien only chuckled darkly, leaning his shoulder against the lockers and making a show of flipping his hair out of his eyes. His burning look never lowered from Marinette…and he was standing uncomfortably close. Marinette refused to meet his gaze, but she was having a harder time keeping herself from shaking. In an attempt to do so, she started lifting books out of and into her bookbag from the floor.

It wasn't working. Her fingers trembled, her breath was shakey…and the problem was only exacerbated when Adrien actually started to speak.

"Don't get your hopes up, Bugaboo," he replied in an equally low voice, leaning in close enough that Marinette could feel his breath on her hair. "I'm just putting on a little show for the locals."

At this, Marinette finally looked up to meet his eyes. At the contact, Adrien flicked his gaze to the side. Marinette mimicked him, seeing, among some of their other classmates and students, Alya and Nino talking with each other by the locker room door. Marinette's lip twitched before turning her stare back to Adrien. This time, though she wasn't quite able to control her quivering, she refused to lower her stare from his.

"And here I thought you had come without a mask," she whispered back.

Adrien's eyes narrowed. Marinette turned away, a twinge of guilt attacking her resolve to keep on the offensive. Rather than see his blush as a sign she should change tactics, she saw it as a sign of victory. Adrien's voice, however, was smooth and seemingly unaffected as it always was.

"I'm starting to think you never took me seriously, with or without the mask."

Adrien grabbed onto the door of her locker, effectively caging her into the small space.

He doesn't like you, Marinette, she reminded herself again, feeling the betraying heat in her cheeks, her ears, her neck… He doesn't like you…not like that. Not really.

It wasn't enough. When Marinette, bolstered temporarily by the mantra, turned to him, the further realization of their close proximity seemed to hit the pair of them simultaneously. They both seemed to immediately lose some of their edge in favor of staring at one another. Adrien was leaning down over her, his height causing her to look almost straight up at him. Taking a deep breath – and trying furiously to fight down the rising panic in her body – Marinette reached up and gently looped her fingers around Adrien's neck. He stiffened under her touch and she reveled in the small victory. In another quick movement, she pulled him down until he was low enough to whisper into his ear.

"Chat Noir was my best friend for three years," she spoke softly, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. "You think I never took you seriously?" A deep breath. "I took everything you said to heart."

Adrien's breath hitched. Marinette couldn't breathe at the sound. His head tilted and her grip weakened when he pulled back, their noses almost touching. He leaned a little farther toward her, and she thought that maybe he would, that he was…

Snickering.

He was snickering.

Marinette, eyes widening from their half-closed position in preparation for some lip contact that never came, cursed herself for expecting anything. She looked up at the smug look on Adrien's face and scowled.

Jerk.

"Charming. But really, Purrincess, I have a question for you." Adrien purred, smile widening as he moved from leaning on the lockers to standing even closer. He brushed a thumb across her cheek, and somewhere in Marinette's mind, she reminded herself that he was doing this just to get under her skin…that this was Chat Noir, and what he had done, what she'd gone through the last few months was because of him.

And she hated him for his war tactics. She hated that they were working.

Oh, LAWS were they working.

"I thought I told you to stay away from me," she managed to eke out, finally dropping her hand and backing away as much as she could in the small space.

"You told Chat Noir to stay away from you."

Marinette side-glanced a flat look toward him.

"Don't pretend like you don't want to go to the arcade with me today," he continued, crossing his arms in front of his chest, as if he had already won a prize they were both vying for.

"I don't have to pretend," Marinette spat back, slamming her locker shut. Arcade? A date? Really…? She picked up a small parcel from her bookbag before closing and slinging the bag onto her back. Without a parting glance, Marinette started on her way past Adrien. Before she had made it a few steps toward the door, though, a hand on her upper arm caused her to halt suddenly.

"It's for Nino."

"What?" Marinette blinked up at Adrien. Adrien sighed, pursing his lips before sneaking a glance toward the couple by the door waiting for them.

"Nino wants to take Alya to the arcade today but doesn't feel comfortable being…alone with her yet. He wants to double. Asked me to ask you."

"Oh, how nice of him to think of a backup date for you!" Marinette fluttered her eyelashes at Adrien again. "He must have known Ladybug was already unavailable."

"Marinette."

"Adrien."

His name hadn't meant to come out so…intimate. Like a whisper. Like some type of "sweet nothing" spoken between lovers. But Marinette had thought so lovingly of just that name for so long…the full meaning of what it was and had been to her seemed to coat the word like a sticky syrup.

In short, that suddenly sultry tone in her voice at the sound of Adrien's name left both teens in a sudden hormonal, blushing mess.

And Marinette, while good at many things, had never been very good at keeping a level head. Or playing the "chill" card. So instead of facing her feelings at this point – or even admitting defeat, as she saw it – she gut-punched Adrien with her small parcel. With a small "oof!", his hands came to grab at her fisted impact, and she immediately distributed the box into his larger fingers.

"I made these for everyone," she stammered out somewhat hoarsely, refusing to meet his eyes, but noting with some sort of snide satisfaction the watering in them from her blow to his stomach. "It would look weird if I didn't give you yours."

Marinette didn't delay in her retreat this time.

Though she regretted giving Adrien his chocolates immediately.

She blushed every time he slowly – purposefully – ate one in front of her. All throughout the day. And yes, he made sure she was watching every. Single. Time.

She was going to kill him.

If she didn't die from this slow torture first.

Monday, 6:32 p.m.

"Pound it!"

The superduo smacked fists together, grinning.

This particular Akuma was, well, hilarious. The duo could barely keep from laughing as they chased casually up the street, holding on to each other to stop from bending over, incapacitated from the absolute hilarity of their situation. Hawkmoth, they had decided, was probably hoping this one would be captured immediately…it had to be embarrassing for him.

The man was a giant collection of balloons. He was large, couldn't move quicker than a balloon on a light breeze, and squeaked loudly with every step. His only power was making balloon animals, harmless balloon animals. They were huge, but the most "damage" they did was to occasionally cause a minor traffic jam.

The only reason it had taken them this long to defeat him was due to actually finding the Akuma; those were a lot of balloons to go through.

By the time they were done, they were both red-faced, tears streaming down their cheeks. They laid in the middle of the sidewalk where the battle had ended, pounding fists lazily, giggling uncontrollably.

"But, the squeaking!"

"I know, right? BAHAHA I couldn't move!"

"That was about the most threatening thing he had going for him!"

"The only reason I even took out my stick was to lean on it for support! Ha, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time."

Chat looked down at where Ladybug's and his own hand were resting after their celebratory gesture. He weighed the pros and cons of the choice he had before him: If he did touch her, a pro would be her being okay with it, and they live happily ever after.

The con? She would hurt him. Mostly likely in more ways than one.

As always, to Chat, the pros far outweighed the cons.

Without looking at her (in fact, pointedly looking away), he tentatively reached over and grabbed her hand. He felt her stiffen and he flinched automatically, but she didn't let go. Instead, she carefully held his hand back, relaxing a bit.

Before he could combust with tears of joy, he chanced a look over at his Lady.

Ladybug wasn't looking at him, but he could still see the expression on her face. Or, he would have been able to, if her face wasn't the same color as her suit. Suddenly she looked shocked. Standing abruptly, she let go of Chat and went for her yo-yo. Chat sensed her plan for escape. Before she got very far, he grabbed her hand again, pulling her close to him, and, before she could object, lifted them high into the air.

She sat stiffly on his leg, but Chat didn't loosen his grip around her.

"So, uh," he started, noticing, as he did, that she was now the one avoiding his eye contact. "Do you, um, want to explain what just happened?"

Ladybug didn't move for a moment. Then she spoke quietly to the ground, eyes half shut.

"No."

"My Lady-"

"No."

"But, I-"

"No."

Chat scowled. Ladybug didn't move a muscle and her face was still a flaming hot mess. Seeing it made Chat's face heat up as well, though he wasn't quite sure what exact emotion was peaking at this moment. But he had made headway for the first time in, well, forever, and he wasn't about to back down from this. (Pun intended…get it? Back down? 'Cause they're up high? Okay, sorry, not funny.)

"Ok," he said finally. "Don't talk. But can I say something before I put you down?"

And before you put me down.

She nodded slowly.

"I, uh…" Rapidly realizing what he was about to say, his mouth decided to object, throat and tongue drying up without warning.

Et tu, mouth?

He tried, futilely, to "ahem" his way out of his betraying body. No success, so he pressed on regardless.

"Ladybug, you're a smart girl." He cringed at how dumb that sounded. "You probably have figured this out, but maybe, well, at the same time, I don't think you have." He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "I, uh, well I only flirt with you, you know that, right?"

Was that what he meant to say?

Cursing his now betraying brain, and feeling the heat rising more and more to his face, he pushed on as Ladybug shifted on him a bit.

"I love you, My Lady," he finally spat out. "I always have." Deep breath. "I always will."

Chat studied Ladybug's face for a reaction, and wasn't disappointed. She looked straight at him. He could see her balking at his words, her eyes caught in confusion, and suddenly he was worried. Chat swallowed, hard. He waited patiently, though…waited for an answer. Then, unexpectedly, she turned away.

"Chat, can you let me down now? I want to go home."

Chat was crushed. There was no answer here, and nothing to even build a hopeful thought or idea from. He had no inkling where he stood with her, other than about 200 feet in the air, give or take. He nodded his reply, though he didn't know if she was looking at him at all, having turned away himself, and started the descent. As soon as they landed, and he gently released her, Ladybug's hand was on her yo-yo, and he prepared to see the scene play out before him like it did in every nightmare he had with her: Ladybug running away from him.

To Chat's surprise, though, she hesitated. When she turned around, tears had welled in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Chat," she whispered. "But I don't want this."

Ouch.

And with that she swung away, leaving Chat alone in the street.

So, pros and cons….

She hadn't backed away….

But she had hurt him. Badly.

(( This chapter just went through a rewrite. Thanks for reading! n.n There's artwork for the next chapter. I'll put the link there, or seach for From Friends to Enemies on my Tumblr (callmeakumatized). ))